AVMA: Wyomingites don't bring pets to the vet often enough

A new American Veterinary Medical Association survey shows that Wyoming ranks tenth in pet ownership.  More than 60-percent of Wyoming households own a pet.  But the report says the pets might not be getting the care they need. 
 
Survey data focused mainly on dogs and cats as pets, but the association acknowledged any animal an owner considers a pet.
 
AVMA President Douglas Aspros says pet ownership tends to be higher in rural states, but he says people are not taking their pets to the veterinarian often enough. Aspros suspects pet owners are trying to research diagnoses themselves on the Internet.     
 
“Pet visits to the vet over the past ten years actually have been modestly decreasing,” Aspros says, “and at the same time we've seen increases in preventable diseases, and these are problems that regular visits to the vet can take care of.” 
 
Aspros recommends taking your pet to the vet for a check-up at least once a year.